Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (25) looks for a hole against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Lingering injuries, decreased playing time or fading talent can transform a fantasy player from a draft night triumph into a season-long disaster. Here's a look at a dozen big-name talents to be wary of when assembling your fantasy football roster:

Potential RBBC victims

Here are five emerging RBBC (Running Back By Committee) scenarios you should be aware of that didn't exist last season:

Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati - Bernard was a solid starter last season who scored eight touchdowns as a rookie, but he attempted only 170 rushes (170!!), which was 50 less than his backup BenJarvus Green-Ellis and the third-fewest attempts of the NFL's top 30 rushers. (For scale, LeSean McCoy led the league with 314 attempts.) Now, the Bengals have drafted Jeremy Hill out of LSU, and word is Hill has supplanted Green-Ellis as the backup. Be wary of drafting Bernard, especially in the first two rounds.

Ben Tate, Cleveland - After being Arian Foster's backup the past two seasons, Tate is now the Browns' No. 1, but he is being challenged by rookie Terrance West. Tate has been nagged by injuries throughout his career and fumbled four times last season, and if West continues to emerge, Tate could be on a short leash.

Chris Johnson, NY Jets - The former NFL rushing leader appears to be on the decline even though he was a workhorse for Tennessee last season with 279 carries, tied with Adrian Peterson for the sixth-most in the league. However, Johnson is now sharing duties in the Jets backfield with Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell and a three-back approach appears in the making, with Ivory getting the goal-line carries.

Ray Rice, Baltimore - Not only will Rice be suspended the first two games, but his replacement, Bernard Pierce, has been excelling all preseason. In fact, there are some in Ravens camp who think Pierce is the better of the two backs.

Maurice Jones-Drew, Oakland - Jones-Drew was a bust last season in Jacksonville, but now he's playing in his hometown and says he is 15 pounds lighter and past the foot injuries that plagued him the last two seasons. It will be interesting to see how the Raiders use Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden, or whether they go the youth route with Latavius Murray, who is big and fast. McFadden is trying to avoid another injury-plagued season and Murray will be making his NFL debut after missing all of his rookie season with injury. Either way, it looks like a RBBC, and best to avoid them all.

Injury issues

In the 2014 preseason there have been important injuries that not only have an effect on who you shouldn't draft, but also on whose stock has improved because of them.

Here's a look at the top injuries you should be aware of:

The Panthers want fourth-year quarterback Cam Newton to throw more and run less as he continues to grow as an NFL quarterback. That's because they want the two-time Pro Bowler to stay healthy. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina - A top four quarterback the past three seasons, Newton will start this season with a level of discomfort after suffering a cracked rib in the third preseason game. He will not play in the final preseason game and coach Ron Rivera expects him to be ready for the season opener. Still, considering that running the ball is a major facet of Newton's fantasy appeal, and considering how much ribs are hit during the course of a game, this is an injury worth monitoring. It may be enough to elevate Matthew Stafford or Andrew Luck ahead of Newton.

Marvin Jones, WR, Cincinnati - Fantasy football's breakout receiver from 2013, when he scored 10 touchdowns, Jones broke his foot in training camp, which required a screw to be placed in the fifth metatarsal. The Bengals are targeting his earliest possible return in Week 5. In his absence, quarterback Andy Dalton has found third-year receiver Mohamed Sanu a capable outlet. Sanu beat the Jets secondary deep for a 43-yard TD catch in preseason, and has added several flashy one-handed catches in training camp.

Wes Welker, WR, Denver - One of Peyton Manning's favorite targets suffered a concussion Saturday, which is concerning in and of itself, but even moreso when you consider Welker's concussion history. Last season, he missed the last three games after suffering concussions in Week 11 and Week 14, meaning this is his third concussion in 10 weeks of play. How many concussions are too much for the 33-year-old? This is an important issue to keep tabs on, and should give owners pause when the prospect of drafting Welker comes up.

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans - Two positives to consider when weighing Drew Brees and the strained oblique that has clouded his preseason: The injury happened on Aug. 1, so there has been plenty of time to recover, and Brees looked fantastic in his preseason debut on Saturday, throwing for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He said he is still not 100 percent, and he is not expected to play in the preseason finale, but he was mobile, accurate and looked like his normal self. Draft Brees with little to no worries about his injury.

Trending downward

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III looks for a receiver in the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington - The dynamic Griffin has been slow to pick up new coach Jay Gruden's offense, which requires him to make quicker decisions. In the third preseason game, Griffin completed five passes, but all were short, totaling 20 yards. His plays included a poorly underthrown ball to DeSean Jackson and an ill-advised short pass to Alfred Morris that was intercepted. His QB rating was 27.1.

"I think he is further along than people give him credit for,'' Gruden told reporters after Griffin's last performance.

Griffin has the tools around him -- a solid running game with Morris and deep threats with Jackson and Pierre Garcon -- but since his rookie year he has been a spotty fantasy proposition because of injury and poor decisions. The new offense, and his slow adaptation to it, is not helping his stock.

Griffin is ranked by ESPN as the No.7 fantasy quarterback -- ahead of Nick Foles, Colin Kaepernick, Matt Ryan and Tom Brady -- but I would drop him below all of those quarterbacks. He does have tremendous upside because of his running ability, but right now, any buyer should beware.

Andre Johnson, WR, Houston - Not only is Johnson 33 years old and on the downside of his career, but he has Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing to him, which isn't going to help. The only upside to Johnson is talk of him being traded (Cleveland and New England have reportedly shown interest) which could enhance his potential. Still, Johnson should no longer be viewed as an elite receiver.

Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants - There are exactly zero indications that Cruz will rebound from a poor fantasy campaign last season, when he didn't score a touchdown after Week 4.

An offense that was 28th in the NFL last season has been almost laughable through three preseason games under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. In the third game, the first-team offense had five possessions. They gained 38 yards.

Eli Manning, one of the worst quarterbacks in fantasy football last season with 27 interceptions, has yet to complete a pass longer than 10 yards this preseason.

You can say it's only preseason, but when it comes on the heels of last season's debacle, it's hard not to call it a trend. The Giants offense is in trouble, and because of that, nobody's stock takes a bigger hit than Cruz's.